Holiday Romance
by Fire The Canon
Summary: Roman/Rachel fic. One Shot. I wrote this for a competiton once.


**Holiday Romance**

Rachel stared dreamily, out over the ocean, smiling to herself. One minute she had been lonely, upset and sulking over her break up with Tony and the next, she was comforted, happy and developing new feelings for someone she never thought she would go for; someone she had just met.

She had only known him for a very short time in which she had been on the Gold Coast. At first, it had been the best place for her to go to get away from Tony. Relaxing on a beach that wasn't in Summer Bay was perfect for her.

But then he had come into her life. It was how she had felt when she had seen Kim for the first time and after she had fallen in love with Tony. He had been nice and very talkative. He had actually shown some interest in her.

As she began to walk back to her resort, she began thinking about seeing him again. He had told her he would see her the next day and now she couldn't wait. She hurried to have her dinner and a shower and then jumped into bed, forcing herself to go to sleep. The sooner she got to sleep, the sooner she would see him.

When she woke up the next morning, she was excited for one reason only. She got ready quickly and then went down to the beach again, hoping to see him. And there he was; standing there with the wind blowing his hair all over the place, looking like a god. How could she be feeling this way after only a few days?

"Hello" she said happily, almost running over to him.

"Hey" he replied, with that sweet voice. There was just something about him that caused her to be attracted to him. She didn't know what it was, but she was determined to find out.

"What are we going to do today?" he asked her.

Rachel didn't reply. All she did was smile. She'd go wherever he wanted to.

"Scuba diving?" he suggested.

Rachel laughed.

"Swimming?"

"I don't care, Roman" she said. "Wherever you want to go".

So he took her hand and they headed off along the beach. Rachel had no idea where Roman was taking her, but she knew that she would enjoy it no matter what.

"Um…wow" Rachel said, slightly shocked as Roman moved his hands away from her eyes. She was staring at this beautiful rock pool filled with many different species of fish and…there were turtles and everything. "It's beautiful" she told him.

Roman smiled at her. "I thought you would like it" he told her.

Rachel smiled back at him and then looked around. It was secluded. There was no one but her and Roman.

"How did you find this place?" she asked.

Roman shrugged. "Years of living here" he said.

"You said you were here for a holiday" she laughed. "You lied".

Again, Roman shrugged. "I wanted you it think I was more interesting that that" he took her hand in his and then pulled her close to him. "I'm glad you came here" he told her.

Rachel looked up at him and then gave him a kiss. "Me too" she whispered so quietly that it was even hard for Roman to hear.

"Have you forgotten about that Tony guy yet?" Roman then teased.

Rachel kissed him again. "Almost" she told him, remembering that she had told him why she was there. It had been just one moment where she had felt like opening up to someone and he had been there. And then he had continued to be there for that past few days. Every hour of every single day, he was there to keep her company. Whether he was there, standing next to her, or holding her in his arms. Or he was in her mind, when she went to sleep at night. He made her feel better and he made her feel safe.

She then moved away from Roman's hold on her and looked back down into the rock pool. She was fascinated by all the different colours of fish living in there. But she was happy that Roman had taken her here.

"I could spend all day here" she sad to him as she sat down along the edge.

Roman sat beside her. "Then that is exactly what we will do" he replied.

Rachel smiled at him. "You are so mysterious" she teased.

"How so?" Roman questioned.

"You just are" Rachel told him, unable to come up with a good answer. There was just something about him. Something she wanted to find out about. How did he know all these places? Why had he told her he wasn't from around here, when he was?

Roman stared out into the distance, where the ocean lived. There were no waves and all he could hear were the fish splashing around in the water or the occasional whistle of a bird. He knew every sound already and just by the call of the bird, he could tell anyone who asked, the name of it.

"Do you have to go back?" he asked Rachel. "I mean, to Summer Bay? Stay here with me…forever".

"You know" Rachel began. "I am starting to contemplate doing that" she wasn't ready to face Tony again, yet and she was falling in love with Roman so quickly. She already hated the thought of being away from him. "But…" she then said. "I have a job and friends back there. I can't abandon them".

"Why not?"

Rachel looked at Roman with a curious smile. He was so care free; didn't really care about anything in particular. He just went around, doing his own thing.

"Well, for starters" she said. "Where do you think I got the money from to come here? I didn't rob a bank or anything like that. I got it from doing a million shifts at the hospital in the last few weeks".

"A million?" Roman questioned, clearly confused.

"Well, that's an exaggeration, but it was close" Rachel smiled at him again and he smiled back. And that was when the conversation ended for a while. Neither of them spoke another word for two hours or so. They just wandered around either together or on their own.

Around one in the afternoon, Rachel turned to Roman.

"I'm getting hungry" she told him.

"I thought you wanted to stay here all day?" Roman teased.

Rachel nodded. "I did, but I didn't realise I would get so hungry. Lets go back now" she regretted saying it, because she loved where she was and who she was with, but she was starving and craving for food.

Roman sighed and then they began walking back. He led the way, while Rachel walked closely next to him. He liked the warmth her body had. It was something he was very unfamiliar with. Warmth, that was.

"Well, here we are" he said once they left the secluded area. "Back in civilisation. Personally, I liked it better back there".

Rachel laughed. "I guess we could have lived on fish" she said. Although she wouldn't admit it, she was relieved to see shops and buildings around. She had only been at the rock pool for a few hours, but it felt good to be around more than one person again.

"I didn't plan on doing this?" Roman mumbled to himself.

Rachel looked at him, confused by what he meant. "I thought you planned to take me down there" she told him.

"Not that" Roman laughed. "I mean coming back so early. I brought no money with me".

Rachel smiled at him and then shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll just have to help you out" she said. "What do you want".

"You decide" Roman suggested. He followed her into a near by take away shop and waited with her.

Penny watched as Roman followed Rachel around like a lost puppy. What was he doing? Making her think he was this guy who had everything and could give her everything she wanted? Well she knew better. Roman was the complete opposite to that and if he didn't tell her, then she would.

Although she didn't know Rachel at all, she could tell that she was too good for Roman. He was a nice guy, but she knew that once she found out what he was hiding, she wouldn't want to be with him anymore. Besides, she was meant to be with him. Not Rachel. She thought she had been getting somewhere with him. She had actually believed that maybe Roman and started to feel something for her.

But then Rachel had to come along and he had to be completely smitten from the very beginning. He had seen her on the beach and he had instantly been in love. Since then, he hadn't left her side.

She watched from across the street, waiting for them to come back out. When they finally did, she strode across towards them. She had her mind set on telling Rachel, that she didn't even think to look for cars that may be driving along. It wasn't until one screeched their breaks and stopped about half a metre away from her that she noticed. If she had been planning on surprising Roman, then that had just been ruined, because she saw him look over at her and shake his head.

She walked the rest of the way to where he was standing with Rachel.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine" Penny replied, mumbling quietly. She looked at Rachel more closely. She had no idea that Roman knew who she was. "I'm Penny" she introduced herself.

"I'm Rachel" Rachel introduced yourself. "What happened out there?" she then asked.

"Penny is a bit of a klutz" Roman told her. "Always getting herself into trouble" Penny didn't like the way he laughed at that. He was never like this.

"Oh, you two know each other?" Rachel questioned.

"Yeah, we live together" Penny jumped in before Roman could say anything.

Roman just shook his head and rolled his eyes. When he was over what she had just said, he turned to Rachel and answered her question, explaining things a bit more carefully than what Penny had.

"We do live together" he said. "But it's more like flatmates, I guess. We aren't together if that's what your thinking".

Penny laughed, but Roman ignored her, which meant Rachel did too.

"Maybe I should come and visit, then?" Rachel suggested with a smile. "You know, before I leave" she was looking at him so hopefully, but Roman didn't seem as enthusiastic. He even looked a little worried.

"I didn't think she knew" Penny said to Roman.

Again, Roman ignored her. He looked at Rachel as if she was the only person there. "It's nothing fancy" he said, trying desperately to discourage her. "Actually, it's a pretty horrible place. You wouldn't like it".

This time, Rachel hadn't ignored Penny. She looked from her to Roman and back again.

"What don't I know?" she questioned.

"Nothing" Roman replied. "I've told you everything".

"Except for one important thing" Penny said.

"And that is?" Rachel urged. She knew there was something Roman wasn't telling her. His expressions were saying everything. But she wanted to know what it was. Were Penny and Roman together once before, but Penny wouldn't let go? Why couldn't he just tell her? Or did that have a child together? She didn't care about that if it was true. She could deal with it.

"Nothing" Roman assured her. "Come on, lets go" he took her hand and dragged her away before Penny could say any more. But Rachel wasn't going to let it go.

"What's going on, Roman?" she asked. "What was Penny talking about?"

"Nothing" Roman repeated as he walked quickly down to the beach. Rachel had to jog beside him to keep up. "Penny just has a little crush" he told her. "She has for ages and she hates the fact that I don't feel the same way. She whenever I find someone else, she gets annoyed that it isn't her and tries to make my life hell" he eventually stopped walking once he reached the edge of the beach and looked at Rachel.

"Oh" was all Rachel could say. "What, so she thinks you're in love with her?" she questioned.

"No, she knows I'm not" Roman assured her. "But she likes to trick people like you into thinking that I am. That's what all that was about before".

Rachel nodded. She understood now. So Penny was only trying to trick her.

"Well I didn't fall for it" she said as she kissed him.

Roman smiled and then kissed her back. "You're the first one" he told her.

Rachel woke up to someone knocking on her door. She looked at the clock and realised it was only one in the morning. Who would be coming to visit at this time of night?

Even though she didn't want to, she got out of bed and answered the door. She had this vision in her mind that it would be Roman asking if he could stay the night. She wasn't sure if he would be allowed to, because she was staying in a holiday result, but she thought she could sneak him in.

To her disappointment, though, it was Penny. "Um…" she was lost for words. "Hi".

"Can I come in?" Penny asked. She didn't even bother saying hello.

Rachel was too confused to say no. She had no idea what was going on so she let Penny into her cabin. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I know what Roman told you" she said.

"And…?" Rachel asked. Why couldn't she wait to tell her this in the morning?

"It's not true" Penny said.

"So you're not in love with him?" Rachel questioned.

Penny hesitated for a couple of seconds, before deciding to answer. "Ok, maybe that part was true" she said. "I am in love with Roman and when I see him with other women, I do get jealous and wish it was me. But when I ran into the two of you earlier, that's not what I was talking about. I have never tried to interfere with his relationships as much as I have wanted to. There is something that Roman isn't telling you and I thought you should know. Not because I want to get rid of you, but because I share his secret".

Rachel was now convinced they had a secret child hidden away together. What else could they share a secret about? She didn't wait for Penny to continue. She decided to ask the question her self.

"Do you and Roman have some sort past?" she asked. "Like some secret child…?"

Penny almost laughed, but she contained herself. "I wish" she replied. "No, it's nothing like that. I guess it's not as serious" she took a deep breath in. "You wouldn't realise it if you didn't see it for yourself" she said to Rachel. "That's why I am not expecting you to believe me straight away…didn't you find it weird how Roman thought up every excuse he could to stop you from coming over to his place?" she asked.

Rachel shrugged. "Well, we haven't known each other that long" she said. "I can understand that he still wants his privacy".

Penny shook her head. "That's not the case at all" she told her. "The truth is…well, Roman doesn't have a home" she said. "And neither do I".

Rachel didn't know what to say to that. How could that be true? Both of them appeared to be…well off, if that was how you put it.

"What do you mean?" she managed to get out.

"I mean we're homeless" Penny told her.

"But you said you lived together" Rachel argued, trying to think of reasons why it wasn't true. But everything seemed to fit as she thought about it more.

Penny nodded. "On the streets" she said.

"Why do you look the way you do, then?" Rachel asked her. "I mean, you appear to be exactly like me. You dress nicely and…and…" she just couldn't picture Roman living on the streets.

This time Penny had no answer. She had wondered that herself more than once over the last few years.

"I don't mean to turn you off Roman or anything" she said. "If you still want to be with Roman, then I will not stand in your way, but I thought you had a right to know. Roman has known you for less than a week and the way he looks at you…well I have wished for years that he would look at me like that" with those words she turned around and left Rachel standing there in shock.

The next morning, Roman found Rachel at the beach like he had for the past week. But this time she didn't greet him as enthusiastically as what she usually did. She even pulled away when he tried to kiss her.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

Rachel turned to face him. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked him.

"Tell me what?" Roman seemed very confused, which meant that Penny hadn't told him anything about her little visit during the night. That was even if she had seen him.

"Penny came to my cabin last night" Rachel began. "She told me everything. About why you didn't want me coming to your, um… 'house' and where you live. Why couldn't you tell me that? It wouldn't have changed my mind about how I felt about you".

"Can you really say that?" Roman asked her. "How would have you reacted if I had come straight out and told you that I live…well, that I don't have a home with a comfortable bed or I don't have enough money to buy you and me lunch? Would you really have come to me to the rock pool like you did yesterday?"

Rachel looked away from him. He was right. She probably wouldn't have then, but now that she had gotten to know him better, that didn't matter to her. She just hated the fact that he hadn't told her.

"It doesn't anymore" she said. "I still feel the same".

"What?" Roman looked at her like she was crazy. "You mean that you still want to be with me?"

Rachel looked up and smiled. "Yes" she said. "And I want you to come back to Summer Bay with me".

Roman was so shocked that he had no idea what to say. He just looked at her, opened mouthed.

"What's the matter?" Rachel asked him.

Roman shut his mouth and shook his head. "I can't believe this" he said. "I lied to you and you still want me to come back with you?"

Rachel nodded and smiled. "It's understandable why you didn't tell me, I guess" she said. "I wouldn't want the whole world to know either".

"But where would I stay?" Roman questioned.

Rachel laughed. "With me" she told him.

"And what will Tony think of this?" Roman questioned.

"I don't care" Rachel replied. "All I want is to be with you and he has to deal with that" she wrapped her arms around his body and kissed him on the lips. "Please?" she begged.

Roman smiled. "I'd love to" he told her. "I was just thinking yesterday that I couldn't handle you going back without me" he kissed her back and gave her a hug. He liked it when he could just hold Rachel in his arms. It felt like he was meant to be with her and she was meant to be with him. Going back to Summer Bay, meant that they could be together. Forever!


End file.
